In February, we spent a few days kayaking on the Gulf Coast of Florida, in the St. Petersburg area. While Johna was edging into artistry at the Sweetwater Kayak Symposium, I rented a kayak and paddled around taking photos of birds.

There were birds everywhere. And while not exactly tame, they were not shy at all. In fact, they had clearly found that in some ways living beak-to-cheek with humans was to their advantage.

While some of the birds still did their own fishing in the old-fashioned way…

… others had found that there was a better way. Every human fisherman—and there were many—had at least one or two birds looking over his shoulder. Of course, it’s possible that they were just being friendly…